Beneath A Broken Sky

Chapter 1: The Skyline Darkens

The spring air carried the sweet fragrance of fresh blooms as I skipped home from school, my bookbag thumping against my back. Golden sunbeams peeked through the budding trees that lined the peaceful Berlin streets. 

For a fleeting moment, the typical chatter and laughter of neighborhood children at play put a contented smile on my face. But then the jarring, heavy thud of boots shattered the tranquility.

I froze, spotting a hulking line of Nazi soldiers marching down the road, their grim faces cast in shadow by their peaked helmets. Screams and shouts echoed from a few blocks over. Trembling, I flattened myself against the brick wall of the Liebermann's bakery as the troops passed, desperately praying they wouldn't notice me.

Once the last pair of boots receded into the distance, I peered around the corner. My heart stopped. Several men in drab brown uniforms barged into the Abrams' flat across the street, smashing windows as they dragged the terrified family out onto the road. Little Sarah Abrams kicked and cried, her doll left crumpled on the doorstep.

Trembling, I clutched my schoolbooks to my chest and sprinted home, the weight of the horrors bearing down with each ragged step. Mamma always told me the stories of the monsters. They couldn't be true...could they?

Rounding the corner, I choked back a sob at the sight of our flat's door ajar, the lock clearly battered open by force. Inside, the sitting room was ransacked - precious family heirlooms and books scattered, the menorah toppled from its place on the mantle.
"Mamma? Atara?" I cried out shakily. "It's me, Ayala!"

Creeping footsteps came thudding down the hall. Mamma's eyes were wild, wisps of dark hair escaping her untidy bun as she pulled me into a desperate embrace. "Oh, thank God you're alright!"

"Wh-what happened? Where's Papa?" I croaked through panicked gasps.

Mamma bit her quivering lip, looking utterly heartbroken. Daniel, Amir, and Atara gathered solemnly behind her, each sibling's expression more fear-stricken than the next.

"Those awful men...they took your father in the night," Mamma finally managed, her voice cracking. "We don't know where, only that he's alive."

Impossible - strong, steadfast Papa? A sickening pit opened in my stomach. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, the reality I had clung to crumbling in an instant.

"We have to leave. Now." Daniel's grim declaration cut through the stifling silence. "Before they come back."

At that, the gravity of our predicament settled on my shoulders like an anvil. This wasn't one of the stories we could simply open a book and escape. The madness had slithered its way into our lives, poised to snatch away everything.

Wordlessly, Mamma ushered us into action. We scattered like ants, grabbing any valued possessions we could quickly stuff into rucksacks - extra clothes,keepsakes, dried food. I clutched Papa's old tallit bag against my chest as we regrouped, Mamma draping her shawl over her head.

"We must move swiftly and stick to the alleyways," Daniel instructed in a hoarse whisper. "Leave everything else behind."

Amir reached for my hand, his own trembling as we quietly filed out the back door. My eyes darted nervously to every shadow and noise, dreading the dreaded brown uniforms rematerializing.

The maze of narrow cobblestone paths behind the row houses provided temporary shelter as we slipped through the twilight like ghosts. Voices and revelry from boisterous pubs added an eerie dissonance to our labored breaths and hurried footfalls.

At last, we reached the edge of the tree line clustered around the old abandoned brickworks at the edge of the city. As we paused to catch our breath, Mamma did a frantic headcount.

"Atara?" Her panicked eyes scanned our disheveled party. "Atara!"
We whipped our heads around in desperation. That's when the scream shattered the stillness - a blood-curdling shriek of shocking familiarity.
"Mamma! Mamma, help!"

My sister's cry propelled me into motion before I could think. I bolted in the direction it came from, the rest of my family giving chase. Weaving through the gnarled trees, the sight that finally materialized stoppped my heart.

Atara thrashed wildly in the iron grip of two Nazi soldiers, their sneering faces awash in malice. One man's gloved hand clamped painfully over her mouth as she flailed. "Atara, no!" The scream burst from Mamma's lips before any of us could stop her.

Like a pack of wolves, more armed troops seemed to materialize from the darkness at the commotion. Rough hands seized me from behind, others swarming my loved ones with cold efficiency. I kicked and screamed, panic and adrenaline coursing as Amir and Daniel were forced to the ground.

Atara's strangled cries echoed through the trees as she was dragged out of sight, her tearful eyes finding mine in a heartbeat of horror. Then everything turned to chaos - shouts and barked orders, the metallic click of rifles cocking...

That's the last normal memory I can cling to before our world collapsed forever beneath the unforgiving heel of the Nazi beast. When we finally emerged from the anguish of that night, it was through the dreaded gates of a place that extinguished all remaining light and hope - the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.